Will Pfeifer's Blog, page 23
November 10, 2014
Movies I Watched in October
Better late than never (?), here are the movies I watched during the 31 days of October 2014. As befits the season, many of them had a spooktacular* sort of a theme...
After watching "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" and "Nightmare Before Christmas" in September, we decided to show Allie this bit of vintage 1988 Tim Burton in preparation for Halloween. It holds up surprisingly well, mostly because though the story is admittedly pretty far out there, Burton never gets caught up too much in the costumes, makeup and special effects -- like he would in later films. What's also surprising is how young everyone is, from Alec Baldwin (playing a rare nice guy) to Winona Ryder, still a few years away from her breakout role in "Heathers." Michael Keaton, of course, is hilarious in the title role, giving the movie just the right jolt of comedic energy exactly when it needs it. What shocked me, though, was watching the extremely family-friendly movie with nine-year-old Allie and hearing Keaton exclaim, seemingly out of nowhere, "Nice f*ckin model!" It's very funny, I'll admit, but not the sort of verbal humor I was expecting.
With Allie at her grandparents' for the day, Amy and I managed to sneak out and see David Fincher's heartwarming ode to modern marriage. Solid movie, which is what you can (at the very least) expect from Fincher, but definitely not at the level of his best work like, say, "Fight Club," "The Social Network" or "Zodiac." AND HERE'S WHERE THE SPOILERS BEGIN, PEOPLE: Obviously, there's some sort of twist coming, being that no one would care about the movie (or the book it's based on) if the whole story was just about a husband who kills his wife and tries to cover it up. So even though the twist in the second act wasn't exactly overwhelming, it did make the movie that much more enjoyable because it was fascinating watching a woman's (extremely) intricate plan come together, then fall apart, then come together again. And though the entire cast was strong, Rosamund Pike really did steal the show as Amazing Amy herself. It's amazing how likable she was in "The World's End" and how hate-able she was here. Acting!
Later that same night, I decided to chase "Gone Girl" with another Fincher adaptation of a best-selling novel about a woman who is not to be messed with. Again, not exactly top-drawer Fincher, but it looks great (of course) and that chilly Swedish setting invigorates the whole film. Probably too long by a half-hour or so, and as much fun as it is to watch Rooney Mara slip on a disguise and frame Daniel Craig's nemesis at the end of the movie, it really doesn't have anything to do with the main plot and just ends up dragging things out.
One of my favorite movies, for reasons I can't quite explain. It's corny as hell, the jokes are utterly unfunny, the music is too deliberately wacky and there's an adoption subplot involving the editor (Jack Webb, who also directed) that, besides being borderline offensive and making zero sense, sidetracks the entire movie. But, in spite of all that, I'll watch "-30'" whenever it airs on TCM, and I have a DVD sitting on my shelf (thanks, Warner Archive) just in case it's not on TV. I suppose it's the only movie that manages to capture not what an actually newsroom is like during one fairly busy news night, but what every journalist wishes the newsroom could be like -- lots of wisecracks and colorful characters, a breaking story (girl lost in storm drains as rain begins) and wise, crusty bosses (Webb and the great William Conrad) who know how to inspire their staffs. Plus, it's the only movie I've ever seen that (a) not only shows a pica pole (a tool of the trade in page design, or at least it used to be) but (b) also shows Webb plotting out a page, using actual measurements and font names, then gives us a glimpse of the printed page later in the movie. If you've ever worked in a newsroom, at least check this one out once. I'm guessing some small part of it will ring true.
For my turn at Family Movie Night, I decided since it was October I'd show Allie one of the classic Universal horror movies, and I figured "The Invisible Man" is both fast-paced enough and short enough (a mere 71 minutes) that it would hold her attention. Correct on both counts! She really loved the scenes with Claude Rains (or at least Claude Rains' voice) tearing off his bandages and clothes to reveal a void underneath, and the typically colorful characters in James Whale's film kept her amused. And I even though I've seen it plenty of times, I was impressed once again what a sharp, funny, slightly unnerving movie it is. Just when you get used to Rains' character teasing the drunks at the inn and bragging about his plans for world conquest, he goes out and derails a train, sending it over a cliff and no doubt killing hundreds of people. In other words, like the best classic horror films, it's wildly entertaining (even funny) one minute, and completely chilling the next.
Unfortunately, you can't say the same for this 1951 Bowery Boys movie, which came late in their run when the everyone involved was clearly going through the motions. The plot involves some sort of scam involving a medium who claims to communicate with the dead (an unfortunately timely topic, even in 2014), but the plot gets tangled up in the usual nonsensical shenanigans, and things become even more needlessly complicated when an actual ghost shows up to narrate part of the movie and help our idiotic heroes save the day. That being said, I'll never get tired of the way Leo Gorcey mangles the English language. I find it hilarious. Sue me.
Continuing the semi-scary movie theme, I somehow convinced Amy to watch this piece of vintage 1980 garbage from the early days of the slasher movie cycle. ("Halloween," also starring Jamie Lee Curtis, arrived only two years earlier, and "Friday the 13th" appeared that same year.) This one follows what would soon be established as the standard formula -- killer gets revenge for a long-ago crime at either an out-of-the-way location or during a specific event -- in this case, the prom, obviously. Trouble is, it's terribly acted, idiotically written and filmed so ineptly that it's hard to decipher what the hell is going on in any given scene. Leslie Nielsen, who plays the dad/principal, would thankfully never have to make this sort of movie again -- "Airplane!" arrived in theaters later this year, securing his big screen future.
To round out the month, we decided to watch a horror movie we'd never seen on Halloween night and chose "The Changeling," another 1980 chiller, this one with a formidable reputation. (Martin Scorsese, for instance, picks it among the scariest movies ever made.) George C. Scott stars as a man who is shattered by the death of his wife and daughter, then begins to think his daughter's spirit -- or at least someone's spirit -- is following him around. It's not a bad movie by any means, with a real sense of style and strong performances (anchored, of course, by Scott himself). But I think this is one of those films that I've just read too much about over the years to really feel the impact of. One of the showcase moments in the film is when Scott's daughter's toy ball bounces back down the stairs to him, but I've seen that clip in so many horror retrospectives that it just didn't scare me in the slightest. I will say this: the seance scene, where the medium is frantically writing messages on sheets of paper, is genuinely chilling and surprised me with its effectiveness. If only the whole movie had felt the same way.
* Why must this word be limited to the month of October? "Spooktacular" is such a beautiful, lyrical edition to the English language that it should be proudly written and spoken the whole year 'round!
After watching "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" and "Nightmare Before Christmas" in September, we decided to show Allie this bit of vintage 1988 Tim Burton in preparation for Halloween. It holds up surprisingly well, mostly because though the story is admittedly pretty far out there, Burton never gets caught up too much in the costumes, makeup and special effects -- like he would in later films. What's also surprising is how young everyone is, from Alec Baldwin (playing a rare nice guy) to Winona Ryder, still a few years away from her breakout role in "Heathers." Michael Keaton, of course, is hilarious in the title role, giving the movie just the right jolt of comedic energy exactly when it needs it. What shocked me, though, was watching the extremely family-friendly movie with nine-year-old Allie and hearing Keaton exclaim, seemingly out of nowhere, "Nice f*ckin model!" It's very funny, I'll admit, but not the sort of verbal humor I was expecting.
With Allie at her grandparents' for the day, Amy and I managed to sneak out and see David Fincher's heartwarming ode to modern marriage. Solid movie, which is what you can (at the very least) expect from Fincher, but definitely not at the level of his best work like, say, "Fight Club," "The Social Network" or "Zodiac." AND HERE'S WHERE THE SPOILERS BEGIN, PEOPLE: Obviously, there's some sort of twist coming, being that no one would care about the movie (or the book it's based on) if the whole story was just about a husband who kills his wife and tries to cover it up. So even though the twist in the second act wasn't exactly overwhelming, it did make the movie that much more enjoyable because it was fascinating watching a woman's (extremely) intricate plan come together, then fall apart, then come together again. And though the entire cast was strong, Rosamund Pike really did steal the show as Amazing Amy herself. It's amazing how likable she was in "The World's End" and how hate-able she was here. Acting!
Later that same night, I decided to chase "Gone Girl" with another Fincher adaptation of a best-selling novel about a woman who is not to be messed with. Again, not exactly top-drawer Fincher, but it looks great (of course) and that chilly Swedish setting invigorates the whole film. Probably too long by a half-hour or so, and as much fun as it is to watch Rooney Mara slip on a disguise and frame Daniel Craig's nemesis at the end of the movie, it really doesn't have anything to do with the main plot and just ends up dragging things out.
One of my favorite movies, for reasons I can't quite explain. It's corny as hell, the jokes are utterly unfunny, the music is too deliberately wacky and there's an adoption subplot involving the editor (Jack Webb, who also directed) that, besides being borderline offensive and making zero sense, sidetracks the entire movie. But, in spite of all that, I'll watch "-30'" whenever it airs on TCM, and I have a DVD sitting on my shelf (thanks, Warner Archive) just in case it's not on TV. I suppose it's the only movie that manages to capture not what an actually newsroom is like during one fairly busy news night, but what every journalist wishes the newsroom could be like -- lots of wisecracks and colorful characters, a breaking story (girl lost in storm drains as rain begins) and wise, crusty bosses (Webb and the great William Conrad) who know how to inspire their staffs. Plus, it's the only movie I've ever seen that (a) not only shows a pica pole (a tool of the trade in page design, or at least it used to be) but (b) also shows Webb plotting out a page, using actual measurements and font names, then gives us a glimpse of the printed page later in the movie. If you've ever worked in a newsroom, at least check this one out once. I'm guessing some small part of it will ring true.
For my turn at Family Movie Night, I decided since it was October I'd show Allie one of the classic Universal horror movies, and I figured "The Invisible Man" is both fast-paced enough and short enough (a mere 71 minutes) that it would hold her attention. Correct on both counts! She really loved the scenes with Claude Rains (or at least Claude Rains' voice) tearing off his bandages and clothes to reveal a void underneath, and the typically colorful characters in James Whale's film kept her amused. And I even though I've seen it plenty of times, I was impressed once again what a sharp, funny, slightly unnerving movie it is. Just when you get used to Rains' character teasing the drunks at the inn and bragging about his plans for world conquest, he goes out and derails a train, sending it over a cliff and no doubt killing hundreds of people. In other words, like the best classic horror films, it's wildly entertaining (even funny) one minute, and completely chilling the next.
Unfortunately, you can't say the same for this 1951 Bowery Boys movie, which came late in their run when the everyone involved was clearly going through the motions. The plot involves some sort of scam involving a medium who claims to communicate with the dead (an unfortunately timely topic, even in 2014), but the plot gets tangled up in the usual nonsensical shenanigans, and things become even more needlessly complicated when an actual ghost shows up to narrate part of the movie and help our idiotic heroes save the day. That being said, I'll never get tired of the way Leo Gorcey mangles the English language. I find it hilarious. Sue me.
Continuing the semi-scary movie theme, I somehow convinced Amy to watch this piece of vintage 1980 garbage from the early days of the slasher movie cycle. ("Halloween," also starring Jamie Lee Curtis, arrived only two years earlier, and "Friday the 13th" appeared that same year.) This one follows what would soon be established as the standard formula -- killer gets revenge for a long-ago crime at either an out-of-the-way location or during a specific event -- in this case, the prom, obviously. Trouble is, it's terribly acted, idiotically written and filmed so ineptly that it's hard to decipher what the hell is going on in any given scene. Leslie Nielsen, who plays the dad/principal, would thankfully never have to make this sort of movie again -- "Airplane!" arrived in theaters later this year, securing his big screen future.
To round out the month, we decided to watch a horror movie we'd never seen on Halloween night and chose "The Changeling," another 1980 chiller, this one with a formidable reputation. (Martin Scorsese, for instance, picks it among the scariest movies ever made.) George C. Scott stars as a man who is shattered by the death of his wife and daughter, then begins to think his daughter's spirit -- or at least someone's spirit -- is following him around. It's not a bad movie by any means, with a real sense of style and strong performances (anchored, of course, by Scott himself). But I think this is one of those films that I've just read too much about over the years to really feel the impact of. One of the showcase moments in the film is when Scott's daughter's toy ball bounces back down the stairs to him, but I've seen that clip in so many horror retrospectives that it just didn't scare me in the slightest. I will say this: the seance scene, where the medium is frantically writing messages on sheets of paper, is genuinely chilling and surprised me with its effectiveness. If only the whole movie had felt the same way.
* Why must this word be limited to the month of October? "Spooktacular" is such a beautiful, lyrical edition to the English language that it should be proudly written and spoken the whole year 'round!
October 15, 2014
Buy My Comics, Make Me Rich: TEEN TITANS #3
Latest issue of TEEN TITANS hits the stands today, with script by yours truly, art and cover by Kenneth Rocafort, colors by Dan Brown, letters by John J. Hill and editing duties by Mike Cotton, Rickey Purdin and Eddie Berganza. There are also variant covers by Gene Ha and Kevin Wada, so keep an eye out for them, too.
Inside, you'll get to see Raven meet her own tribute band, Bunker defeat the world's most pathetic mugger, Wonder Girl's mom meet her daughter's creepy fan club and Beast Boy turn into (a) an ostrich and (b) a bison. Plus, Red Robin breaks into S.T.A.R. Labs and the gang orders breakfast!
Intrigued? Check out a preview of the issue here.
October 9, 2014
At Long Last, the Movies I Watched in September
From the Better Late Than Never Dept., here's a recap of the movies I watched in September...
As I’ve said many, many times on this blog, I love pre-Code movies, those nasty little artifacts from the era after sound arrived but before the Motion Picture Production Code gained any sort of teeth. Turner Classic Movies showed dozens of them in September, and one was the legendary “Baby Face," a 1933 scorcher I actually own on DVD but couldn’t stop watching once it started playing on TCM. Here’s the deal: Barbara Stanwyck plays a young woman whose father pimps her out to the coal miners in their town. When she finally has enough and hits the road, she winds up in New York and has sex with an ever-escalating level of employee as she moves up (and up and up) in the corporation. And that’s it. It’s startling to see a movie so blatant about the sex-for-success transaction, but that’s exactly what “Baby Face” is – and it was released 81 years ago. Stanwyck sweet talks some hapless guy, they stroll into a room, then the camera pans up the exterior of the bank to the next level where, before long, the process is repeated. Amazing. Stanwyck is great, too, so full of moxie she practically bursts at the seams. (In an early scene, she opens a beer – this is during Prohibition, remember – then gets her breasts pawed by some sleazy coal miner. She breaks the bottle over his head, then starts drinking another beer like nothing ever happened.) Keep an eye out for a young John Wayne in a bit part (years away from his “Stagecoach” stardom, he’s too low on the corporate ladder to even get a second glance from Stanwyck.) African-American actress Theresa Harris plays Stanwyck’s loyal friend who, for some unfortunate reason, becomes her maid when she hits the big city. It’s just about the only part of this movie that seems terribly dated.
For some reason, I really like the movies of William Castle. There’s something about the low-key professionalism he brings to his horror films, sort of like Alfred Hitchcock on a smaller budget (or Roger Corman on a bigger one.) I know I’m never going to actually be scared by what he puts onscreen, but there’s always at least one “shock” moment that’s a lot of fun or some plot twist that you know he gleefully thought up during some late-night writing sessions. “Mr. Sardonicus” doesn’t reach the wonderfully absurd heights of “Homicidal” or “The Tingler,” but it does have a great visual reveal when we finally see the title character's misshapen face, and there’s a creepy undercurrent to the whole movie involving the lead character, the young ladies of his town and his twisted marriage. Castle was, of course, known for his gimmicks, and this one originally came with a card allowing theatergoes to decide if they wanted Baron Sardonicus to be punished for his crimes. The movie stops, Castle himself comes onscreen and asks people to hold up their “Punishment Cards,” then actually pretends to count up the total and tell the theater manager to load the vote-getting scene into the projector. Of course, Castle doesn’t count the votes (How could he? He’s a clip in a movie!) and not only that, he only filmed one ending to the movie. Spoiler alert: Baron Sardonicus gets horribly punished. Castle knew his audiences, and he knew they had a merciless, bloodthirsty sense of justice – and spectacle.
We introduced this movie to Allie and, I’m happy to say, it holds up beautifully – maybe better than any of Tim Burton’s other movies (besides “Ed Wood.”) Despite its mid '80s pedigree, “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” is pretty timeless, with a box of Mr. T cereal and a Twisted Sister cameo near the end just about the only actual artifacts from the 1980s. What’s amazing is how damned funny it still is, hanging hundreds of jokes on the flimsy tale of Pee Wee’s attempts to recover his stolen bike. Allie was completely into it, anticipating the trouble Pee Wee was getting into and laughing herself silly at each (mis)adventure. I was watching her carefully when the “Large Marge” segment was on, and when Marge’s face exploded into a very Tim Burton-esque creature, she was genuinely scared and did NOT want to watch that part again. She didn’t know who James Brolin or Morgan Fairchild are, so the satire of the movie within the movie went over her head, but boy oh boy did she love the voice that they dub in for Pee Wee during that last bit. She’s still walking around the house croaking out “Paging Mister Herman … Mister Herman..”
The other Tim Burton movie of the month (well, sort of – despite what everyone assumes, he wrote and produced it, but Henry Selick actually directed it), watched at Allie’s insistence. It’s a lot of fun and a great showcase for the art of stop-motion animation, but unlike “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure,” this one definitely has some draggy sections. (Paul Reubens, by the way, has a small part as the voice of one of Oogie Boogie’s assistants.)
If you’re seeking cinematic proof that less is more, allow me to offer up this imaginative, creepy, never-not-mesmerizing sort-of sci-fi flick directed by Jonathan Glazer. Scarlett Johansson plays an alien who seduces men in Scotland, then uses their bodies for energy. Maybe. To be honest, exactly none of that is explained during the movie, and you’re left to assume whatever you think is happening actually is happening. And that’s not as much of a problem as you might think – in fact, it’s one of the movie’s strengths. Beginning with a stunning surreal sequence, “Under the Skin” is such a sensory experience of Kurbrickian proportions that you miss the point if you worry about the details of the story. I’m reluctant to say much more for fear of spoiling your viewing, so let me offer a very high recommendation (assuming you’re not the sort of person who demands a tight plot) and let you start watching.
The other pre-Coder I caught on TCM last month was this 1931 gangster classic that’s even older than “Baby Face.” In the role that made him a star, the great Edward G. Robinson plays Cesare Enrico Bandello – aka Rico aka “Little Caesar” – an ambitious, amoral thug who quickly rises in the ranks of what I’m guessing is the Chicago underworld – ala a certain Mr. Alphonse Capone, who was active at the same time. “Little Caesar” dates from the early days of sound cinema, when all the kinks hadn’t been worked out, and Mervyn Leroy’s direction tends toward the static at times. But it moves quickly and is full of memorable scenes, including an “introduction to the gang” sequence from Rico’s point of view that predates a similar scene in “GoodFellas” by about six decades. Best of all, Robinson is amazing, playing Rico as a complex character, alternately insecure, bold and murderous. He’s fun to watch on the way up as he embraces his new, glamorous lifestyle, but he’s even more fun on the way down, skulking in a flophouse and growling at his fellow bums, reduced to the level of a desperate animal. Of all the actors of all the eras in film history, I think Edward G. Robinson is my favorite, and it’s because of performances like this.
As I’ve said many, many times on this blog, I love pre-Code movies, those nasty little artifacts from the era after sound arrived but before the Motion Picture Production Code gained any sort of teeth. Turner Classic Movies showed dozens of them in September, and one was the legendary “Baby Face," a 1933 scorcher I actually own on DVD but couldn’t stop watching once it started playing on TCM. Here’s the deal: Barbara Stanwyck plays a young woman whose father pimps her out to the coal miners in their town. When she finally has enough and hits the road, she winds up in New York and has sex with an ever-escalating level of employee as she moves up (and up and up) in the corporation. And that’s it. It’s startling to see a movie so blatant about the sex-for-success transaction, but that’s exactly what “Baby Face” is – and it was released 81 years ago. Stanwyck sweet talks some hapless guy, they stroll into a room, then the camera pans up the exterior of the bank to the next level where, before long, the process is repeated. Amazing. Stanwyck is great, too, so full of moxie she practically bursts at the seams. (In an early scene, she opens a beer – this is during Prohibition, remember – then gets her breasts pawed by some sleazy coal miner. She breaks the bottle over his head, then starts drinking another beer like nothing ever happened.) Keep an eye out for a young John Wayne in a bit part (years away from his “Stagecoach” stardom, he’s too low on the corporate ladder to even get a second glance from Stanwyck.) African-American actress Theresa Harris plays Stanwyck’s loyal friend who, for some unfortunate reason, becomes her maid when she hits the big city. It’s just about the only part of this movie that seems terribly dated.
For some reason, I really like the movies of William Castle. There’s something about the low-key professionalism he brings to his horror films, sort of like Alfred Hitchcock on a smaller budget (or Roger Corman on a bigger one.) I know I’m never going to actually be scared by what he puts onscreen, but there’s always at least one “shock” moment that’s a lot of fun or some plot twist that you know he gleefully thought up during some late-night writing sessions. “Mr. Sardonicus” doesn’t reach the wonderfully absurd heights of “Homicidal” or “The Tingler,” but it does have a great visual reveal when we finally see the title character's misshapen face, and there’s a creepy undercurrent to the whole movie involving the lead character, the young ladies of his town and his twisted marriage. Castle was, of course, known for his gimmicks, and this one originally came with a card allowing theatergoes to decide if they wanted Baron Sardonicus to be punished for his crimes. The movie stops, Castle himself comes onscreen and asks people to hold up their “Punishment Cards,” then actually pretends to count up the total and tell the theater manager to load the vote-getting scene into the projector. Of course, Castle doesn’t count the votes (How could he? He’s a clip in a movie!) and not only that, he only filmed one ending to the movie. Spoiler alert: Baron Sardonicus gets horribly punished. Castle knew his audiences, and he knew they had a merciless, bloodthirsty sense of justice – and spectacle.
We introduced this movie to Allie and, I’m happy to say, it holds up beautifully – maybe better than any of Tim Burton’s other movies (besides “Ed Wood.”) Despite its mid '80s pedigree, “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” is pretty timeless, with a box of Mr. T cereal and a Twisted Sister cameo near the end just about the only actual artifacts from the 1980s. What’s amazing is how damned funny it still is, hanging hundreds of jokes on the flimsy tale of Pee Wee’s attempts to recover his stolen bike. Allie was completely into it, anticipating the trouble Pee Wee was getting into and laughing herself silly at each (mis)adventure. I was watching her carefully when the “Large Marge” segment was on, and when Marge’s face exploded into a very Tim Burton-esque creature, she was genuinely scared and did NOT want to watch that part again. She didn’t know who James Brolin or Morgan Fairchild are, so the satire of the movie within the movie went over her head, but boy oh boy did she love the voice that they dub in for Pee Wee during that last bit. She’s still walking around the house croaking out “Paging Mister Herman … Mister Herman..”
The other Tim Burton movie of the month (well, sort of – despite what everyone assumes, he wrote and produced it, but Henry Selick actually directed it), watched at Allie’s insistence. It’s a lot of fun and a great showcase for the art of stop-motion animation, but unlike “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure,” this one definitely has some draggy sections. (Paul Reubens, by the way, has a small part as the voice of one of Oogie Boogie’s assistants.)
If you’re seeking cinematic proof that less is more, allow me to offer up this imaginative, creepy, never-not-mesmerizing sort-of sci-fi flick directed by Jonathan Glazer. Scarlett Johansson plays an alien who seduces men in Scotland, then uses their bodies for energy. Maybe. To be honest, exactly none of that is explained during the movie, and you’re left to assume whatever you think is happening actually is happening. And that’s not as much of a problem as you might think – in fact, it’s one of the movie’s strengths. Beginning with a stunning surreal sequence, “Under the Skin” is such a sensory experience of Kurbrickian proportions that you miss the point if you worry about the details of the story. I’m reluctant to say much more for fear of spoiling your viewing, so let me offer a very high recommendation (assuming you’re not the sort of person who demands a tight plot) and let you start watching.
The other pre-Coder I caught on TCM last month was this 1931 gangster classic that’s even older than “Baby Face.” In the role that made him a star, the great Edward G. Robinson plays Cesare Enrico Bandello – aka Rico aka “Little Caesar” – an ambitious, amoral thug who quickly rises in the ranks of what I’m guessing is the Chicago underworld – ala a certain Mr. Alphonse Capone, who was active at the same time. “Little Caesar” dates from the early days of sound cinema, when all the kinks hadn’t been worked out, and Mervyn Leroy’s direction tends toward the static at times. But it moves quickly and is full of memorable scenes, including an “introduction to the gang” sequence from Rico’s point of view that predates a similar scene in “GoodFellas” by about six decades. Best of all, Robinson is amazing, playing Rico as a complex character, alternately insecure, bold and murderous. He’s fun to watch on the way up as he embraces his new, glamorous lifestyle, but he’s even more fun on the way down, skulking in a flophouse and growling at his fellow bums, reduced to the level of a desperate animal. Of all the actors of all the eras in film history, I think Edward G. Robinson is my favorite, and it’s because of performances like this.
September 26, 2014
Movies I'm Looking Forward To: 'Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films'
As a cult movie fan, two of my favorite documentaries of recent years have been "Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!" and "Machete Maidens Unleashed!," both directed by Mark Hartley and both taking loving looks at forgotten corners of cinema history (Australian exploitation movies and American action movies filmed in the Philippines, respectively).
His latest film, "Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films," focuses on the over-the-top '80s movies produced by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, and it has the potential to be even wilder than his previous two efforts (which, trust me, are pretty wild -- and highly recommended.) Just check out this trailer and tell me you don't want to see this movie...
His latest film, "Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films," focuses on the over-the-top '80s movies produced by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, and it has the potential to be even wilder than his previous two efforts (which, trust me, are pretty wild -- and highly recommended.) Just check out this trailer and tell me you don't want to see this movie...
September 19, 2014
Movies I'm Looking Forward to in the Fall of 2014: 'Nightcrawler'
Jake Gyllenhaal co-starred in one of my favorite movies of recent years, David Fincher's "Zodiac," and I liked him in a couple of his earlier efforts, "Donnie Darko" and "Rocket Boys," too. (Plus, he was a kid in that classic Robin Williams episode of "Homicide.") He's always been pretty good at playing an innocent guy, often tossed into a dark, scary situation that's a bit more than he can handle.
Which brings us to "Nightcrawler," which was a big hit at the Toronto Film Fest and features a slimmed down version of Gyllenhaal -- so slim, in fact, that something looks distinctly wrong about him. Which, judging by the plot of "Nightcrawler," is the whole point. Written and directed by Dan Gilroy, it's the story of a guy who earns money in the morally murky world of "freelance crime journalism" in Los Angeles. It co-stars Bill Paxton and Rene Russo (nice to see her back on the screen) and has been described as a cross between "Taxi Driver" and "Network," two of my all-time favorite films. (And two that competed for Best Picture back in 1976 -- an award that, believe it or not, "Rocky" won.)
All that sounded pretty promising all by itself -- and then I saw this trailer...
And now, I'm really excited. Love the use of that repeated slogan at the end, which starts out innocent and corny and quickly becomes something else entirely.
Which brings us to "Nightcrawler," which was a big hit at the Toronto Film Fest and features a slimmed down version of Gyllenhaal -- so slim, in fact, that something looks distinctly wrong about him. Which, judging by the plot of "Nightcrawler," is the whole point. Written and directed by Dan Gilroy, it's the story of a guy who earns money in the morally murky world of "freelance crime journalism" in Los Angeles. It co-stars Bill Paxton and Rene Russo (nice to see her back on the screen) and has been described as a cross between "Taxi Driver" and "Network," two of my all-time favorite films. (And two that competed for Best Picture back in 1976 -- an award that, believe it or not, "Rocky" won.)
All that sounded pretty promising all by itself -- and then I saw this trailer...
And now, I'm really excited. Love the use of that repeated slogan at the end, which starts out innocent and corny and quickly becomes something else entirely.
Movies I'm Looking Forward to in the Fall of 2015: 'Nightcrawler'
Jake Gyllenhaal co-starred in one of my favorite movies of recent years, David Fincher's "Zodiac," and I liked him in a couple of his earlier efforts, "Donnie Darko" and "Rocket Boys," too. (Plus, he was a kid in that classic Robin Williams episode of "Homicide.") He's always been pretty good at playing an innocent guy, often tossed into a dark, scary situation that's a bit more than he can handle.
Which brings us to "Nightcrawler," which was a big hit at the Toronto Film Fest and features a slimmed down version of Gyllenhaal -- so slim, in fact, that something looks distinctly wrong about him. Which, judging by the plot of "Nightcrawler," is the whole point. Written and directed by Dan Gilroy, it's the story of a guy who earns money in the morally murky world of "freelance crime journalism" in Los Angeles. It co-stars Bill Paxton and Rene Russo (nice to see her back on the screen) and has been described as a cross between "Taxi Driver" and "Network," two of my all-time favorite films. (And two that competed for Best Picture back in 1976 -- an award that, believe it or not, "Rocky" won.)
All that sounded pretty promising all by itself -- and then I saw this trailer...
And now, I'm really excited. Love the use of that repeated slogan at the end, which starts out innocent and corny and quickly becomes something else entirely.
Which brings us to "Nightcrawler," which was a big hit at the Toronto Film Fest and features a slimmed down version of Gyllenhaal -- so slim, in fact, that something looks distinctly wrong about him. Which, judging by the plot of "Nightcrawler," is the whole point. Written and directed by Dan Gilroy, it's the story of a guy who earns money in the morally murky world of "freelance crime journalism" in Los Angeles. It co-stars Bill Paxton and Rene Russo (nice to see her back on the screen) and has been described as a cross between "Taxi Driver" and "Network," two of my all-time favorite films. (And two that competed for Best Picture back in 1976 -- an award that, believe it or not, "Rocky" won.)
All that sounded pretty promising all by itself -- and then I saw this trailer...
And now, I'm really excited. Love the use of that repeated slogan at the end, which starts out innocent and corny and quickly becomes something else entirely.
September 13, 2014
X-Ray Spex Turns 10: Or, What the Hell Are You Doing Writing a Blog in 2014?
It was ten years ago today, as near as I can figure, that I wrote my first post at X-Ray Spex. It was a typically rambling, self-indulgent couple of paragraphs all about how I was going to start a blog even though I "really have no idea what I'm going to fill it with. If it's like most of my other projects, look for a whole lotta nothing. But, on the offhand chance I actually follow through on something, it could be fun. Or at least something to look at when you're pretending to work."
Hey, chalk one up for prognostication!
September 2004 was a long time ago, and much of my life was very different. For one thing, Amy and I hadn't added this little bundle of fascination to our family. (That would happen in the spring of 2006, and if you're curious about the process of bringing a nine-month-old girl back from China, I wrote a blog about that, too, and it's still up and running.) Long before I was posting photos of Allie on Facebook, I was posting them here -- like the unbearably cute one above from Halloween 2007. Another big difference? I was still working at the Rockford Register Star. I'd been there since January of 1990 and would stick around, in one form or another, until late summer of 2012.
When I started at the Register Star, the internet barely existed. Now it's all but forced that newspaper -- and most others -- to the brink of extinction. Also, I'd just started writing CATWOMAN, though the first issue (with art by the great Pete Woods -- that's one of his early concept drawings above) wouldn't hit the stands for a few months. It was by far my longest run on any comic, almost 40 issues released between 2005 and 2008, with runs to follow on CAPTAIN ATOM, BLUE BEETLE, IRON MAN 2.0, AMAZONS ATTACK, BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT and other assorted comic books, followed by a longer-than-I-would-have-preferred dry spell, followed (thankfully) by my recent run on RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS and my current run on TEEN TITANS. In case I haven't made it clear, yes, it's very, very good to be back.
That's one reason, in this age of Facebook (founded in early 2004), Twitter (created in March 2006) and other social network sites I barely understand that I keep this blog up and running, even if it's not quite as frequently updated as it was back in its early days. Whether I had a gig reviewing movies or not, whether I was writing a comic book or not, X-Ray Spex was always here for me to ramble on about pop culture, a free (in every sense of the word) outlet for my thoughts. Sure, it's a handy place to hype my comic books, but I can (and do) do that just as easily (and probably more effectively) on Twitter and Facebook. No, the blog is for longer, less promotional items, pieces like my monthly recaps of the movies I've watched; a long, detailed account of a live appearance by Jerry Lewis (still the most hits I've ever had on this blog, mostly because my account was, as far as I can tell, the only account of this memorable evening); and a fond tribute to the great "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" cartoon that I watched with that little girl we met earlier who dressed up as Batman.
In fact, probably my favorite thing I've written on this blog was my monthlong series of posts on horror movies in October 2007. It's the sort of thing I never could have written for the newspaper, as 31 columns about horror movies -- including not-for-family favorites like "The Last House on Dead End Street" -- wouldn't fly in the Register Star, and that sort of rambling, self-indulgent writing wouldn't fit on Facebook or Twitter. Nope, for that sort of thing, a blog -- this blog -- is the place to be.
So feel free to friend me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter, where the updates are more frequent. But keep an eye on X-Ray Spex, because that's still my favorite place to hang out. The grand era of personal blogs may be over, but this one isn't going anywhere.
Hey, chalk one up for prognostication!
September 2004 was a long time ago, and much of my life was very different. For one thing, Amy and I hadn't added this little bundle of fascination to our family. (That would happen in the spring of 2006, and if you're curious about the process of bringing a nine-month-old girl back from China, I wrote a blog about that, too, and it's still up and running.) Long before I was posting photos of Allie on Facebook, I was posting them here -- like the unbearably cute one above from Halloween 2007. Another big difference? I was still working at the Rockford Register Star. I'd been there since January of 1990 and would stick around, in one form or another, until late summer of 2012.
When I started at the Register Star, the internet barely existed. Now it's all but forced that newspaper -- and most others -- to the brink of extinction. Also, I'd just started writing CATWOMAN, though the first issue (with art by the great Pete Woods -- that's one of his early concept drawings above) wouldn't hit the stands for a few months. It was by far my longest run on any comic, almost 40 issues released between 2005 and 2008, with runs to follow on CAPTAIN ATOM, BLUE BEETLE, IRON MAN 2.0, AMAZONS ATTACK, BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT and other assorted comic books, followed by a longer-than-I-would-have-preferred dry spell, followed (thankfully) by my recent run on RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS and my current run on TEEN TITANS. In case I haven't made it clear, yes, it's very, very good to be back.
That's one reason, in this age of Facebook (founded in early 2004), Twitter (created in March 2006) and other social network sites I barely understand that I keep this blog up and running, even if it's not quite as frequently updated as it was back in its early days. Whether I had a gig reviewing movies or not, whether I was writing a comic book or not, X-Ray Spex was always here for me to ramble on about pop culture, a free (in every sense of the word) outlet for my thoughts. Sure, it's a handy place to hype my comic books, but I can (and do) do that just as easily (and probably more effectively) on Twitter and Facebook. No, the blog is for longer, less promotional items, pieces like my monthly recaps of the movies I've watched; a long, detailed account of a live appearance by Jerry Lewis (still the most hits I've ever had on this blog, mostly because my account was, as far as I can tell, the only account of this memorable evening); and a fond tribute to the great "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" cartoon that I watched with that little girl we met earlier who dressed up as Batman.
In fact, probably my favorite thing I've written on this blog was my monthlong series of posts on horror movies in October 2007. It's the sort of thing I never could have written for the newspaper, as 31 columns about horror movies -- including not-for-family favorites like "The Last House on Dead End Street" -- wouldn't fly in the Register Star, and that sort of rambling, self-indulgent writing wouldn't fit on Facebook or Twitter. Nope, for that sort of thing, a blog -- this blog -- is the place to be.
So feel free to friend me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter, where the updates are more frequent. But keep an eye on X-Ray Spex, because that's still my favorite place to hang out. The grand era of personal blogs may be over, but this one isn't going anywhere.
September 11, 2014
9/11, movies, 'Man on Wire' and the Marx Bros.
Today, on Sept. 11, 2014, I thought I'd share a column I wrote three years ago, on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, back when I was the movie columnist at the Rockford Register Star. I still think it's one of the better pieces I've written.
Movies after that day: Why should you watch films in a post 9/11 world? Back in September 2001, in the first column I wrote after the Sept. 11 attacks, I struggled to form some sort of response to what had happened.
Naturally, being the DVD reviewer -- and a lifelong movie fan -- I tried to tie the news of the day into the films of recent years. Here's what I wrote 10 years ago:
"I've seen planes crash and buildings collapse. I've seen terrorists strike America, and I've seen America strike back -- hard, usually with a cigar in its mouth and a machine gun in its hand.People die -- extras mostly, or the hero's best friend/beloved partner. Then, the hero -- America -- grits its teeth, grabs its gun and kills the bad guys, often with a witty remark. Everyone cheers. The credits roll. The end.
I didn't hear any witty remarks Tuesday. Did you?"
Of course you didn't. The remarks, witty or otherwise, didn't arrive until a few weeks later, when comedian Gilbert Gottfried joked at a Friar's Club roast that he couldn't get a direct flight because his plane "had to stop at the Empire State Building first." Someone from the back of the room -- a room in New York City, mind you -- yelled out that Gottfried's joke was "too soon!," and Gilbert shifted gears by telling the ancient (and filthy) "aristocrats" joke. That led to the documentary "The Aristocrats," which was released in 2005 and remains the only film devoted to a single dirty joke. So that's at least one movie that was inspired, however indirectly, by the events of 9/11.But I digress. It's the sort of thing you do when you're writing about something like 9/11, but you don't know what to say.
So I'll return to that 2001 column ...
"In movies, the cameras don't linger on the victims. The spectacle is what's important, not the suffering. Tuesday, watching those planes crash and buildings fall, you knew in your gut the worst was yet to come. Now reports are coming in of people dying horribly, in the air and on the ground.
"No movie would include all this human tragedy -- it would take the focus away from the thrills. Who wants to root for the Hollywood hero after hearing about rescue workers being crushed or flight attendants being stabbed with box cutters?"
My favorite movie about 9/11 doesn't have rescue workers or flight attendants or box cutters. In fact, it was made years after Sept. 11, 2001 -- but takes place years before.
"Man on Wire" is a 2008 documentary about Philippe Petit, a French tightrope walker who strolled across the space between the Twin Towers back in 1974, just a few years after they were built. People forget now, but back when those towers were standing, they were considered an ugly architectural blot on New York City's skyline. But Petit fell in love with the buildings when they were still under construction and began planning his crime. His walk, undertaken with considerable effort and even more considerable risk (legal and mortal), brought a few minutes of beauty, whimsy and magic to those grim steel structures. "Man on Wire" captures the wonder Petit felt standing there in midair, more than 1,000 feet above the ground, and makes it live again more than 30 years later.But here's what "Man on Wire" doesn't do: It doesn't mention what happened to those buildings. Not once.
We see them go up, in vintage construction footage eerily reminiscent of reports from ground zero. But we never see them come down. Director James Marsh knows what we're thinking the whole time, and he lets us think it. But he never tells us to think it, and that's one reason "Man on Wire" is such a special movie.
Another reason is that it's so much fun. "Man on Wire" is a heist movie, like "Oceans 11." Only this time, instead of breaking into a building to steal millions of dollars, our heroes are breaking into a building to steal a few seconds of glory. There's nothing wrong or meaningless about a movie being fun. The best movies -- the most memorable, most meaningful ones -- take us away from our daily lives and into a world more compelling, more exciting or more enjoyable than the real one. Sometimes, in the days after 9/11 -- and I'm counting these days, too -- that's what we need. A few hours of cinematic escape.
A few weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, National Public Radio played a comedic bit from a Marx Brothers movie -- I think it was "Monkey Business" -- for no other reason than it cheered up audiences in 1931, when the Great Depression was at its worst, and some programmer thought it might do the same for audiences 70 years later. I don't know what it did for most listeners, but it worked for me. Then again, as I may have mentioned, I'm a movie fan.
Still, I'd like to offer you the same sort of relief. If you're feeling down this weekend, whether it's thanks to the memories of 2001 or the realities of 2011, pull out a movie -- it doesn't matter which one -- and put it in your player. Maybe it'll remind you of the people whose lives were lost, 10 years ago. And hopefully, it will remind you why your life is worth living, 10 years later.
Movies after that day: Why should you watch films in a post 9/11 world? Back in September 2001, in the first column I wrote after the Sept. 11 attacks, I struggled to form some sort of response to what had happened.Naturally, being the DVD reviewer -- and a lifelong movie fan -- I tried to tie the news of the day into the films of recent years. Here's what I wrote 10 years ago:
"I've seen planes crash and buildings collapse. I've seen terrorists strike America, and I've seen America strike back -- hard, usually with a cigar in its mouth and a machine gun in its hand.People die -- extras mostly, or the hero's best friend/beloved partner. Then, the hero -- America -- grits its teeth, grabs its gun and kills the bad guys, often with a witty remark. Everyone cheers. The credits roll. The end.
I didn't hear any witty remarks Tuesday. Did you?"
Of course you didn't. The remarks, witty or otherwise, didn't arrive until a few weeks later, when comedian Gilbert Gottfried joked at a Friar's Club roast that he couldn't get a direct flight because his plane "had to stop at the Empire State Building first." Someone from the back of the room -- a room in New York City, mind you -- yelled out that Gottfried's joke was "too soon!," and Gilbert shifted gears by telling the ancient (and filthy) "aristocrats" joke. That led to the documentary "The Aristocrats," which was released in 2005 and remains the only film devoted to a single dirty joke. So that's at least one movie that was inspired, however indirectly, by the events of 9/11.But I digress. It's the sort of thing you do when you're writing about something like 9/11, but you don't know what to say.
So I'll return to that 2001 column ...
"In movies, the cameras don't linger on the victims. The spectacle is what's important, not the suffering. Tuesday, watching those planes crash and buildings fall, you knew in your gut the worst was yet to come. Now reports are coming in of people dying horribly, in the air and on the ground.
"No movie would include all this human tragedy -- it would take the focus away from the thrills. Who wants to root for the Hollywood hero after hearing about rescue workers being crushed or flight attendants being stabbed with box cutters?"
My favorite movie about 9/11 doesn't have rescue workers or flight attendants or box cutters. In fact, it was made years after Sept. 11, 2001 -- but takes place years before.
"Man on Wire" is a 2008 documentary about Philippe Petit, a French tightrope walker who strolled across the space between the Twin Towers back in 1974, just a few years after they were built. People forget now, but back when those towers were standing, they were considered an ugly architectural blot on New York City's skyline. But Petit fell in love with the buildings when they were still under construction and began planning his crime. His walk, undertaken with considerable effort and even more considerable risk (legal and mortal), brought a few minutes of beauty, whimsy and magic to those grim steel structures. "Man on Wire" captures the wonder Petit felt standing there in midair, more than 1,000 feet above the ground, and makes it live again more than 30 years later.But here's what "Man on Wire" doesn't do: It doesn't mention what happened to those buildings. Not once.
We see them go up, in vintage construction footage eerily reminiscent of reports from ground zero. But we never see them come down. Director James Marsh knows what we're thinking the whole time, and he lets us think it. But he never tells us to think it, and that's one reason "Man on Wire" is such a special movie.
Another reason is that it's so much fun. "Man on Wire" is a heist movie, like "Oceans 11." Only this time, instead of breaking into a building to steal millions of dollars, our heroes are breaking into a building to steal a few seconds of glory. There's nothing wrong or meaningless about a movie being fun. The best movies -- the most memorable, most meaningful ones -- take us away from our daily lives and into a world more compelling, more exciting or more enjoyable than the real one. Sometimes, in the days after 9/11 -- and I'm counting these days, too -- that's what we need. A few hours of cinematic escape.
A few weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, National Public Radio played a comedic bit from a Marx Brothers movie -- I think it was "Monkey Business" -- for no other reason than it cheered up audiences in 1931, when the Great Depression was at its worst, and some programmer thought it might do the same for audiences 70 years later. I don't know what it did for most listeners, but it worked for me. Then again, as I may have mentioned, I'm a movie fan.
Still, I'd like to offer you the same sort of relief. If you're feeling down this weekend, whether it's thanks to the memories of 2001 or the realities of 2011, pull out a movie -- it doesn't matter which one -- and put it in your player. Maybe it'll remind you of the people whose lives were lost, 10 years ago. And hopefully, it will remind you why your life is worth living, 10 years later.
September 10, 2014
Great Moments in Comics, Part 43
Warpsmith Aza Chorn saves the day.
Miracleman #15, "Nemesis," Nov. 1988, script by Alan Moore, art by John Totleben, colors by Sam Parsons, letters by Wayne Truman
September 6, 2014
Movies I'm Looking Forward to in the Fall of 2014: 'Saving Christmas'
Have you seen the trailer for this thing? No? Then feast your heathen eyes on this, and tell me you can't wait until it arrives on some sort of free delivery system that won't require you to pay for it...
Among the brilliant elements glimpsed in this trailer:
1. Kirk's brother-in-law, whom he has to convince that trees and other pagan elements are, in fact somehow (magically?) Christian in origin is subtly named "Christian." (He's also played by a guy named Darren Doane who, as
2. Some sort of elaborate dance scene that involves (a) "Chrisitan" sliding across the floor and Kirk himself popping and locking.
3. The minister asking the lily-whitest crowd on the planet is he can, ahem, "get an amen!"
It begins its "limited engagement" in theaters on Nov. 14, so get there fast -- because with a movie like this, it's likely to be long gone by Christmas. Or Thanksgiving, for that matter.
Seasons greetings!
Among the brilliant elements glimpsed in this trailer:
1. Kirk's brother-in-law, whom he has to convince that trees and other pagan elements are, in fact somehow (magically?) Christian in origin is subtly named "Christian." (He's also played by a guy named Darren Doane who, as
2. Some sort of elaborate dance scene that involves (a) "Chrisitan" sliding across the floor and Kirk himself popping and locking.
3. The minister asking the lily-whitest crowd on the planet is he can, ahem, "get an amen!"
It begins its "limited engagement" in theaters on Nov. 14, so get there fast -- because with a movie like this, it's likely to be long gone by Christmas. Or Thanksgiving, for that matter.
Seasons greetings!
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